January 5, 2006 -- THE galling part is that for the fourth straight time, the Jets of New York City, the Jets of the No. 1 market in the world, the Jets of Joe Willie Namath, are played for fools, used like a JV team and tossed away like a ratty rag.
First Bill Parcells stared at the guy in the glass, and the guy in the glass pointed him toward Saratoga, and then to Dallas. Then Bill Belichick stopped by Weeb Ewbank Hall on his way to Canton, cut a hostage tape, and fled for paradise in New England. Then Al Groh - Al Bleeping Groh! - sought asylum at the University of Virginia after all but declaring that when you cut his veins, he bled Jet green and white.

And now this: Herman Edwards - he of the 39-41 lifetime record, he of the in-game clock management so dreadful the Jets actually had to hire a coach to do it for him; he of the decision to play for a field goal when the AFC Championship Game was within his grasp a year ago; and he of the defiant declaration that he most certainly was not going to be coaching the Kansas City Chiefs next year - is apparently all but out the door and headed for the Kansas City Chiefs next year.

Amazing. The Jets don't even get to fire the likes of Al Groh and Herman Edwards anymore. They're the ones who get fired. They're the ones who get dumped.

Well, Edwards is soon to be Kansas City's problem. He will galvanize the Chiefs' locker room, of that there is little doubt. He will give the radio guys some wonderful sound bytes, and every now and again he'll show up on the local 6 o'clock news giving one of his revivalist homilies, the kind that usually came right on the heels of someone daring to criticize him or his team a little too fervently.

He will also undoubtedly convert what is now one of the NFL's most dazzling offenses into a predictable, drab, grind-it-out eyesore. Chiefs fans used to seeing lots of points and lots of balls in the air had better get ready for a lot of close games, a lot of 13-10 games late in the fourth quarter. And then, when the time comes for the Chiefs to figure out how to win those games, how to manage the clock, how to out-coach the other guy - well, just wait for that. That ought to be fun.

Look, as much as Jets fans may have wanted Edwards fired after this 4-12 calamity, he didn't deserve that. But you know what? He sure as hell doesn't deserve an extension, either, and has no right to feel the slightest bit slighted that one hasn't been proffered.

One thing that's always helpful to remember about this Jets season: They were expected to not only make the playoffs, but challenge the Patriots in the AFC East, and push their way deep into the playoffs. Everyone expected that: Edwards, Terry Bradway, the players. Heading into Week 1, they were a very fashionable sleeper pick by some to even make it to the Super Bowl.

You know what happened in Week 1? The Jets went to Kansas City and they got their heads handed to them. The offense was embarrassing. The defense was humiliating. The coaching was abysmal. The same Chiefs who 15 weeks later would look like a Pop Warner team against the Giants with their entire season on the line tore the Jets limb from limb.

And the Jets were 100 percent healthy that week.

In Kansas City, Carl Peterson apparently detected magic amid the apocalypse, and he saw a savior for his own perpetually underachieving football team.

He saw the future of the Chiefs, and his name was Herman Edwards.

Edwards should leave, and leave quickly, because the Jets have too many other calamities to address now. Principal among these should be Woody Johnson answering whether Terry Bradway, his J.D. Salinger GM, is the man he wants to entrust to find a new coach. Not that it matters.

Whomever they do hire, there will surely be a greener pasture to pursue in a year or two. Maybe Sheepshead Bay High will be hiring by then.

nascher

01-05-2006, 05:32 AM

NY they like to hate everybody who is coaching the jets Caroll left after an 9-7 season and know ....

RedDread

01-05-2006, 06:14 AM

"balls in the air" on offense?

Just cause we're productive doesn't mean we air it out all the time.

We're still a run first offense, and our passing offense benefits from it.

DaWolf

01-05-2006, 07:06 AM

Well that sure made Herm and the next 4 years sound appetizing. :shake:

My only hope is that the same thing that happened to the oft critisized Tony Dungy happens to Edwards here, IE he is able to get us to play good defense while maintaining the offense. More predictable is fine as long as the ball is being fed to LJ and Gonzo. I'm sick of us drafting someone like Kris Wilson or running cute plays so we can try to trick opponents. Use your playmakers. And for goodness sakes, get a wide reciever who matters on this roster...

Lzen

01-05-2006, 08:46 AM

Well that sure made Herm and the next 4 years sound appetizing. :shake:

My only hope is that the same thing that happened to the oft critisized Tony Dungy happens to Edwards here, IE he is able to get us to play good defense while maintaining the offense. More predictable is fine as long as the ball is being fed to LJ and Gonzo. I'm sick of us drafting someone like Kris Wilson or running cute plays so we can try to trick opponents. Use your playmakers. And for goodness sakes, get a wide reciever who matters on this roster...

I agree with most of that. I really, really, really hope they leave the offensive system intact. However, I don't agree with this notion (and I've heard this from many places this year) that the Chiefs don't have any receivers. I think Kennison is a very solid receiver and Parker is becoming a solid #2.

Brock

01-05-2006, 08:50 AM

I hope I'm wrong, but I think this is going to end badly.

chagrin

01-05-2006, 09:16 AM

I happen to believe that the Chiefs Locker room is pretty tight. I don't think he is going to ruin that kind of chemistry.

KILLER_CLOWN

01-05-2006, 09:19 AM

If Carl has any dignity he will double Al's Salary and promise him that he's quitting in 4 years only to hire Al as HC right before he retires.